WORKING THROUGH IT

One Christmas several years ago: I am holding Duke,
and Clark is holding Shadow. We miss them so much

I talked to a friend from church on the phone last night for 45 minutes! Her husband had had surgery, so we hadn't talked since Duke crossed the rainbow bridge on July 28. They have two basset hounds, and as a fellow dog lover, she understood how devastating it has been for us in the loss of our doxie.

If you know someone who has lost a beloved pet, give them some time to adjust. We grieve the same as in the loss of a family member, because our pets ARE family members. Never--and I repeat--never belittle or laugh off their grief, because trust me, it is real. When we own pets, we take our responsibilities seriously, as God has entrusted their care to us: we feed them, bathe them, give them their medications when warranted, play with them, hold them when they are sick or injured, and get them the necessary medical treatment when they need it. We take them to the vet for regular checkups and shots, have their teeth cleaned and their toenails clipped, and if their coats are long, have them groomed. In short, we do just about anything for them that we've done for our own children. Therefore, in many ways, our pets become like our own children. 

What have our dogs given us in return? For one thing, lots of fun. Duke made me laugh every single day, sometimes over and over! Companionship. Devotion. Lots of other things, but as all pet lovers know, unconditional love.

Clark and I are gradually working through our grief; I am still very sad at times, but the wonderful memories are beginning to take up more time than the sadness of his passing. I have lost other pets, but Duke was such a special and loving dog that I've felt much deeper grief than I did with others. 

Cherish your time with your pets, because it will be over far sooner than you'd like.

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em.

Duke when he was little. He was staring at me as I
ate a snack. Guess what he wanted!!

LIFE AFTER DUKE: TWO DAYS LATER . . .

We call this picture of him "Sly Duke"

This is an especially difficult Monday for me. When I got up, I felt draggy, tired, and depressed. I'm told that those are classic symptoms of grief. If so, then I have a classic case of grief.

As I sit here at my computer in the office (which also doubles as a guest room), Duke is supposed to be lying on the bed over there as I type. In fact, it was never too long before he came to join me in here from any other part of the house, especially if Clark was outside (which he is now) or off to run errands. I find myself looking over at the bed often, at the spot where Duke always lay: on the right side, just in front of the pillow. I always covered him up with his little blanket that Holly gave him after his back surgery. Of course, I still have that blanket, and I'm going to make it into a pillow.

We still have his collar and his leash, but we gave Holly his toys for Sunny and Bruno. Duke dearly

loved squeaky toys, but he usually "killed" them in five minutes flat! That's a dachshund thing that doxie lovers know well. We also gave Holly his fleece animal print blanket which he loved to chew on--he always did that before he went to sleep. I suppose it calmed him.

His bear, 2007

His stuffed kitty? We buried it with him. We found that black stuffed kitty at a yard sale, figuring that it would be an inexpensive toy for Duke to chew on. But ya know what? He never chewed on it--he
lovingly licked it and didn't like for anyone to have it but HIM. It had gotten a bit smelly from his licking it so much, but I didn't ever wash it (he only had it a few months, anyway). We had no idea when we brought that toy home that it would outlast Duke.


So . . . this is where I am today, two days after Duke left us. The house is too quiet, too stifling, too sad--but I can't muster up the desire to go anywhere or do anything. Oh, Clark has coaxed me out to eat a couple of times (so I wouldn't have to cook and he wouldn't have to clean up the kitchen), but that's about it. I always thought that grieving people should get out, do things, see friends. But that's much easier said than done, my friends. Much easier said than done. I'm told it will get better, and I know it will. I feel better here and there, only to come crashing down in a vale of tears a few minutes later. I know God is in control, I know He is watching over me, and for that I am so thankful--but my heart hasn't yet caught up with what my mind knows is true. I can look out the kitchen window and see Duke and Shadow's graves across the creek. That doesn't make me sad: I recall how much Duke was suffering, and seeing his grave brings some comfort that he IS no longer in pain.

Typical: begging for some
of our food!

But I miss my dawg so much. My constant companion, he was what Clark and I called "a force" - he always knew what he wanted, and always managed to get it! If he was hungry, he'd sit and stare at us. When we looked up, he'd look over toward the kitchen. Being the intelligent humans we are, it didn't take us long to catch on. He'd look at what he wanted. When he was sick those last few days before we realized he needed the hospital, he'd stare at his water bowl (which we had moved into the living room after his back surgery in March). Clark would lift him and carry him over to his water bowl, then bring him back and place him wherever he wanted, which was either my lap or on the couch beside Clark.

Tug-of-war, his favorite thing
(besides food, of course!)

Soon, I know this sadness will be replaced with all the happy times we had with Duke, of which there were thousands, over the ten years he was part of our family. Granddaughter Annika called me last night in tears because she missed Dukie. I comforted her as well as I could, because I knew exactly how she was feeling. That dawg was downright human in his personality and emotions!

I had said, before we even started searching for a dachshund in 2007, that above all, I wanted a dog with personality--not a dog who would just lie around, eat, and sleep. Well, I got the dog I was meant to have, and he gave us far more than we ever dreamed possible. When we visited the dachshund farm that day, the breeder had about a hundred doxies running around and playing in her large yard. We didn't really know about rescue organizations back then, but this breeder had a high rating from the AKC, and all her dogs were well cared for. (Read I AM DACHSHUND, Book 2, to learn more about Duke's adoption). I wanted a black-and-tan boy, just like Shadow, so she took us inside to see Duke, her only black-and-tan male puppy ready for adoption that she had at the time. He licked my hand, then peed on it . . . the rest, as they say, is history. He made me smile every single day. He showed his love to us every single day. And now, I yearn to rub his ears, which he loved, massage his sweet face or back, feel his shiny black coat, or play tug-of-war with him (that scoundrel could nearly pull your shoulder out of the socket he was so strong!). When he looked into my eyes, I saw love, playfulness, joy, humor . . . and finally, suffering. I hope I will soon be able to forget the image of his suffering eyes near the end.

A better day will come soon when I can think of him without tears. I wish I could just skip over the grieving and the sadness, and go directly to happy memories beyond that--but that's not the way it works. I've lost other pets, but none of those losses were as heart wrenching as this one. I have heard this saying all my life: "The deeper the love, the greater the grief." Now I know what it means firsthand.

If you are reading this post, please don't feel sorry for me. I'm not looking for that, honestly. Writing this post helps to express how I'm feeling, and I sincerely hope that someone out there will be comforted because they are grieving, too. God bless all pet owners, because they will all face this moment at some time or other, too.

I am planning on writing a book soon to chronicle my journey through my time following Duke's passing. I want to be a comfort to other grieving pet lovers.

Enjoying the yard when he was healthy

Dachshunds . . . they become a part of your heart, but take it with them when they leave us.

FINAL UPDATE FOR MY DOXIE DUKE

Dear friends,

Duke is no better this morning, and there's nothing further that can be done to help him, so we have chosen to send him over the rainbow bridge.He has much more swelling bc of internal bleeding, heart rate is up, his breathing more labored, no platelets forming.

More transfusions to "build him up" would only make him swell more, suffer more. So, as hard as it is, we don't want our beautiful boy to suffer further. I wish you could have known him and known his great personality!

We'll be at UGA by his side around 12 - 12:30 to hug him one last time and day good-bye. We'll have a family ceremony at home, and bury him on the little hill across our creek, beside his buddy Shadow.

Thanks for everything. My heart is too full to say more right now. God is good, even in the midst of deeply painful things.

Dachshunds . . . we always love them, even when they cross the rainbow bridge.

💔💔